No time for sex! James Bond swaps bed-hopping for handshakes and camaraderie with his female counterparts in No Time To Die after Phoebe Waller-Bridge comes on board for 'wokest' 007 film yet

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Over 59 years and more than 20 films, legendary MI6 agent James Bond's bedhopping antics have become as synonymous with the franchise as vodka martinis and Aston Martins.

But as Daniel Craig bows out of the 007 role in the much-anticipated No Time To Die, Bond's lothario antics appear to have fallen by the wayside as he swaps casual romps for handshakes and camaraderie with his female castmates.

The 25th film in the franchise sees strong female characters stake their claim on the storyline- with Lashana Lynch as British secret agent Nomi, along with Ana De Armas as Cuban agent Paloma, joined by psychologist and Bond's love Madeleine Swann, played by Lea Seydoux.

Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in as a scriptwriter to ensure the blockbuster was appropriate for the #MeToo era - with the flick billed as the most politically correct and 'woke' James Bond movie yet, with outdated sexism banned. 

No time for sex! James Bond swaps bed-hopping for handshakes and camaraderie with his female counterparts in No Time To Die (above with Ana De Armas as Paloma)

Therefore, while No Time To Die sees the typical explosive Bond drama beloved of the franchise, 007's previous history of adding notches to his bedpost is very much an afterthought - with the agent seen building a friendly rapport with his female colleagues, rather than trying to seduce them.

In one scene, Bond asks Paloma to turn around as he changes, before shaking hands with her in a scene of mutual respect and understanding following a dramatic fight scene.

They are also seen praising each other's work - and, while Bonds of yesteryear would have seen the suave agent delivering some smooth lines and bedroom eyes before tumbling into a passionate embrace, the pair keep it cordial. 

There is also verbal sparring with his 007 replacement Nomi, with the usually silver-tongued agent placed uncharacteristically on the back foot during several tongue-in cheek exchanges.

The Spy Who Liked Me: But as Daniel Craig bows out of the 007 role in the much-anticipated No Time To Die, Bond's lothario antics appear to have fallen by the wayside as he swaps casual romps for handshakes and camaraderie with his female castmates (above with Lashana Lynch)

One scene sees Lashana's character meet Bond for the first time, as she tells him: 'The world's moved on commander Bond.

While he questions: 'Are you a double 0?', and she replies 'two years'. 

Nomi also tells Bond: 'You get in my way, I will but a bullet in your knee... the one that still works.'   

The groundwork for Bond's changed ways was laid in 2015 film Spectre, with the previously womanising 007 discovering true love with Madeleine.

The focus has shifted to teamwork and healthy competition, with no scrimping on the action that fans of the franchise adore.

And the change has been noted - Daily Mail's Brian Viner wrote in his review: 'Was there ever a Bond film with fewer sexual conquests? I can’t think of one, even in the near-monogamous Timothy Dalton years.'    

New 007: There is also verbal sparring with his 007 replacement Nomi, with the silver-tongued agent placed uncharacteristically on the back foot during several tongue-in cheek exchanges

Changing the game: Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in as a scriptwriter to ensure the blockbuster was appropriate for the #MeToo era - with the flick billed as the most politically correct and 'woke' James Bond movie yet, with outdated sexism banned

In 2019, Eve Moneypenny actress Naomie Harris discussed how Phoebe was going to shake up the Bond narrative, saying: 'She is going to ramp up the female perspective on Bond 25. 

'The Bond of old, his days are numbered,' she concluded, suggesting that the writer will shake up what's come to be expected of the character.    

Earlier this month, No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga discussed how the franchise had completely moved on its portrayal of 007's womanising ways, while branding Sean Connery's James Bond 'basically a rapist' in early films. 

He told The Hollywood Reporter: 'Is it Thunderball or Goldfinger where, like, basically Sean Connery’s character rapes a woman? She’s like, "No, no, no," and he’s like, "Yes, yes, yes."'

The scene in question in 1965's Thunderball involves Bond (played by Connery) and nurse Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters). During their first meeting Bond forcibly kisses Fearing, which she rejects and forcibly pushes him away. 

Teamwork: The focus has shifted to teamwork and healthy competition, with no scrimping on the action that fans of the franchise adore

Later when he cheats death on a traction machine, Bond threatens to tell her bosses.

Fearing says: 'You wouldn’t tell Doctor Wade? Please, I’d lose my job' with Bond responding: 'Well, I suppose my silence could have a price.'

Fearing backs away, saying: 'You don’t mean… oh, no!' with Bond retorting: 'Oh, yes' before following her and removing her clothes. 

Connery's Bond also was seen pinning Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) to the ground in 1964's Goldfinger, until she kissed him.  

The magazine also spoke to Barbara Broccoli, the producer, about misogyny in Bond films. Her late father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, produced the Bond franchise until his death in 1996.

Holding her own: In one scene, Bond asks Paloma to turn around as he changes, before shaking hands with her in a scene of mutual respect and understanding

Producer Barbara Broccoli added: 'I think people are coming around - with some kicking and screaming - to accepting that stuff is no longer acceptable. Thank goodness.

'Bond is a character who was written in 1952 and the first film came out in 1962. He’s got a long history, and the history of the past is very different to the way he is being portrayed now.'  

Daniel himself recently addressed the outdated James Bond plotlines of past films in the franchise - such as the idea of glamorous disposable so-called Bond girls.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, he said of the spy series that 'you've got to adapt' with the times.

'Certainly a lot of what went on in the earlier movies is sort of questionable now... different times, but we didn't want to lose the essence [in the new film]. It's still a Bond movie.

Backstory: The explosive final chapter in Craig's Bond journey has won rave reviews (pictured with Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann)

Past: Bond shares  a passionate kiss with Lea during a love scene in 2015's Spectre

'I've been given free range to put my influence on it, but I've never forgotten that. We can have all key elements and things people have loved over the years, but you adapt.   

'One of my biggest things is all the characters, especially the women, have to be brilliant and believable.'

Daniel also told Lorraine about becoming overcome with emotion when he shot his final scene as Bond.

'Everybody turned up - all the heads of department came down, and I thought 'Oh God, I have to make a speech, this is my worst nightmare.' It all just came out, I tried to keep it together.

'All of those people I go to work with every day, particularly on this movie, the collective effort was so huge and meant so much to me that everyone put that hard work in - that's what I'll miss so much.'  

Back then: Earlier this month, No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga discussed how the franchise had completely moved on its portrayal of 007's womanising ways, while branding Sean Connery's James Bond 'basically a rapist' in early films (pictured in 1965's Thunderball)

Scene: The scene in question in 1965's Thunderball involves Bond (played by Connery) and nurse Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters). During their first meeting Bond forcibly kisses Fearing, which she rejects and forcibly pushes him away

The movie was due for release in April 2020 but it was postponed as the first wave of Covid-19 broke and repeatedly pushed back as the pandemic took hold. 

With the cinema industry in the doldrums, the keenly anticipated film, which will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday, is expected to herald a major return of filmgoers.     

After an 18-month Covid-induced delay the premiere for No Time To Die took place at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday.

Craig stepped out alongside co-stars Lashana, Lea and Ana to introduce critics, royals and stars alike to the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed blockbuster - with a thrilling outcome from the other side. 

No way: Connery's Bond also was seen pinning Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) to the ground in 1964's Goldfinger, until she kissed him

Viner gave Bond's 'daring, tense and explosive' 25th outing four stars, writing that 'the thunderous ovation that rocked the venue as the end credits rolled was not misplaced'.

Reviews from around the world soon flooded in with a slew of five star accolades for Craig's swansong - along with gushing praise over the movie's 'magnificence, glee, extravagance and bulgingly proportions'.   

No Time To Die finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

Leaving his seemingly happy life with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), Bond returns to the field to face Safin (Rami Malek) who is armed with a new dangerous technology that could impact the world.

Daniel took over the role of Bond from Pierce Brosnan in Casino Royale in 2006 and went onto appear in Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre in 2015.    

Wow! The film finally premiered on Tuesday at the Royal Albert Hall (pictured Lashana, Daniel, Lea and director Cary Fukunaga)

Teasing an ending that 'no one saw coming', Viner hailed No Time To Die as 'a triumph', gushing: '[No Time To Die is] an explosive, tense, daring, and most of all surprising adventure, toying with our preconceptions about the world's greatest secret agent and exploring his personal life more intimately than ever before.'

Addressing the film's 163 minutes run-time, Viner assured readers that 'the breathless pace rarely slackens'. 

On the fact that Craig's fifth and final outing as Bond was filmed in a post Time's Up era, Viner notes: 'Is there now a danger of the character tilting too far away from the callous ladykiller of yesteryear, becoming 00-woke?... 

'Yes, there is. However, not least of the achievements of this exciting movie is that it feels progressive, while staying faithful to the spirit of Bond. This is a serious film, and it will leave you seriously blown away.'    

Producer Barbara Broccoli has already teased what fans can expect and said that the movie will deliver a satisfying ending for Daniel's Bond.

Speaking on the official James Bond podcast, she said: 'It's a culmination of everything that his portrayal of the character has been through and it ties up all the storylines. It's a pretty epic film, I have to say.' 

No Time To Die will be released in the UK on September 30,  October 8 in the US and 11 November in Australia.

Changes: The movie was previously supposed to come out on April 2, however its original release was supposed to be in April 2020 (pictured Daniel Craig

History: Daniel took over the role of Bond from Pierce Brosnan in Casino Royale in 2006 and went onto appear in Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre in 2015  

No time to say goodbye! Daniel Craig is credited for his 'extravagantly satisfying' (and unapologetically woke) Bond swansong... as 'slick, stylish and emotional' No Time To Die wins five star reviews

After an 18-month Covid-induced delay the premiere for No Time To Die - Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond - took place at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, with Craig stepping out alongside co-stars including Lashana Lynch, Lea Seydoux and Ana de Armas to introduce critics and stars alike to the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed blockbuster.

The Daily Mail's Brian Viner gave Bond's 'daring, tense and explosive' 25th outing four stars, writing that 'the thunderous ovation that rocked the venue as the end credits rolled was not misplaced'.

Teasing an ending that 'no one saw coming', Viner hailed No Time To Die as 'a triumph', gushing: '[No Time To Die is] an explosive, tense, daring, and most of all surprising adventure, toying with our preconceptions about the world’s greatest secret agent and exploring his personal life more intimately than ever before.'

Finally here: After an 18-month Covid-induced delay the premiere for No Time To Die - Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond - took place at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday

Four stars: The Daily Mail's Brian Viner gave Bond's 'daring, tense and explosive' 25th outing four stars

Addressing the film's 163 minutes run-time, Viner assured readers that 'the breathless pace rarely slackens'.

Touching upon the fact that Craig's fifth and final outing as Bong was filmed in a post Time's Up era, Viner notes: 'Is there now a danger of the character tilting too far away from the callous ladykiller of yesteryear, becoming 00-woke? 

'Yes, there is. However, not least of the achievements of this exciting movie is that it feels progressive, while staying faithful to the spirit of Bond.'   

Viner concluded: 'This is a serious film, and it will leave you seriously blown away.'

Leading man: Daniel, 53, oozed sophistication ahead of his final outing as James Bond when he walked No Time To Die's world premiere red carpet on Tuesday 

Other critics were equally roused by Craig's final performance as Bond, with The Guardian awarding the blockbuster five stars and critic Peter Bradshaw hailing the film as 'startling, exotically self-aware, funny and confident'.

Empire offered an impressive four stars, branding No Time To Die an 'exciting entry' into the 007 universe and urging viewers to 'raise a martini' because 'it was worth the wait'.

Four more stars came from the Evening Standard while The Times offered up five thanks to Craig's 'extravagantly satisfying' final portrayal of Bond.

The Sun urged viewers to 'buckle up' in its four star review while the BBC also allocated the movie five stars, noting: 'No Time To Die rounds off the Craig era with tremendous ambition and aplomb.'

However The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey was less content when the credits rolled, branding Craig's 'last hoorah' as 'disappointing and strangely anti-climactic' before mustering up just three stars.

Glamourous: Daniel joined glamorous co-stars Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas and Lea Seydoux at the swanky event before critics sat down to review the flick 

Digital Spy was another publication to award the flick four stars.  

Ahead of the screening Craig chatted away to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Also at the star-studded premiere were Billie Eilish, Rami Malek, screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, director Cary Joji Fukunaga and Naomie Harris.

It has been a long road to Tuesday night's premiere after the film's release was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The film was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was pushed back to November before the release was changed once again to April 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Dazzling: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also in attendance at No Time To Die's World premiere 

Looking good! The Duchess of Cambridge appeared just as impressed with Daniel's pink suit as he was with her show-stopping gown

The release date was finally settled for September 30 in the UK followed by October 8 in the US.

Ahead of the release, Daniel and some of his fellow star cast members joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about the movie.

Daniel, who has appeared in five Bond films over 15 years, told Chris: 'After the last one, I thought that was it. I thought, 'I can't do any more of these'. 

'I got a bit of a rest and we kind of talked about what we wanted to do with this last movie and how big we wanted to go, and it felt right, and I just got really excited about it, and I can't wait for people to see it.

Team Bond: Finneas O'Connell, Billie Eilish, Rami Malek, screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, director Cary Joji Fukunaga, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch and Naomie Harris all posed on the carpet together

'I saw a rough cut of it about a month after we finished, which is really rough, because there's no special effects or anything. When you see that version of it, you just hope and pray that it makes sense, and it did. 

'Once you get the effects, and you get the music, Hans Zimmer's done the music, and it's just incredible. The story holds together.'

'Everyone is just turning in brilliant performances, and I think it's quite special.'

Speaking about the enforced delay to the film's release due to the pandemic, the actor said: 'It's odd enough with a movie, when you've finished it, and you put it out and you kind of go, 'Woah, I hope it's good.' 

Close bond: Naomi Harris and Lashana Lynch shared a joke at the star-studded event ahead of the much-anticipated screening 

'But when there is a two-year gap between finishing it and putting it out, it just makes things even stranger.' 

On where he was when he first found out he had got the role of Bond: 'I was in Baltimore doing a movie. And I was in Whole Foods, doing my weekly shop, wandering around with a trolley with food in it, and (producer) Barbara Broccoli was on the phone, and she just went, 'Over to you kiddo.' 

'So I got my trolley and I pushed it quietly down an aisle, walked into the booze section and bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of vermouth, a glass and a shaker, took it home and drank it, and then went out and sat in a bar and drank about three more vodka martinis.

'It's really sad, actually, when you think about it. But, I must have had a sort of look on my face, because the barman kept asking me what was going on, and I said, 'I can't tell you!' 

Release: The release date was finally settled for September 30 in the UK followed by October 8 in the US  

Daniel recently addressed the outdated James Bond plotlines of past films in the franchise - such as the idea of glamorous disposable so-called Bond girls.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, he said of the spy series - which sees latest movie No Time To Die released this week - that 'you've got to adapt' with the times.

'Certainly a lot of what went on in the earlier movies is sort of questionable now... different times, but we didn't want to lose the essence [in the new film]. It's still a Bond movie.

'I've been given free range to put my influence on it, but I've never forgotten that. We can have all key elements and things people have loved over the years, but you adapt. 

On the franchise, Daniel said: 'Certainly a lot of what went on in the earlier movies is sort of questionable now... different times, but we didn't want to lose the essence [in the new film]. It's still a Bond movie'

'One of my biggest things is all the characters, especially the women, have to be brilliant and believable.'

Daniel also told Lorraine about becoming overcome with emotion when he shot his final scene as Bond.

'Everybody turned up - all the heads of department came down, and I thought 'Oh God, I have to make a speech, this is my worst nightmare.' It all just came out, I tried to keep it together.

'All of those people I go to work with every day, particularly on this movie, the collective effort was so huge and meant so much to me that everyone put that hard work in - that's what I'll miss so much.'

Changes: The movie was previously supposed to come out on April 2, however its original release was supposed to be in April 2020 (pictured Daniel Craig)

No Time To Die is the 25th film in the franchise, and finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

Leaving his seemingly happy life with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), Bond returns to the field to face Safin (Rami Malek) who is armed with a new dangerous technology that could impact the world.

Producer Barbara Broccoli has already teased what fans can expect and said that the movie will deliver a satisfying ending for Daniel's Bond.

Speaking on the official James Bond podcast, she said: 'It's a culmination of everything that his portrayal of the character has been through and it ties up all the storylines. It's a pretty epic film, I have to say.'

Daniel took over the role of Bond from Pierce Brosnan in Casino Royale in 2006 and went onto appear in Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012 and Spectre in 2015.